Reciprocating jaw nutcracker



1954 s. M. WHITE RECIPROCATING JAW NUTCRACKER Filed Aug. 4, 1949 HQ" STRRLEY MWH ITE IN VEN TOR.

RTTOENEX' United States Patent This invention relates to a nutcracker. More specifically it relates to a nutcracker which has a limited stroke so as to crack the shell but avoid crushing the meat.

While I am aware that numerous nutcrackers employ the principle of mounting a nut endwise between two cupped members which. can be moved relatively toward one another, all of these devices depend upon the skill of the operator for stopping the relative movement in time to prevent crushing of the meats and yet it must be carried far enough ot provide adequate cracking of the shell to permit removal of the meats. This is an operation which is dilficult to control because the force required to crack the shell of the nut is so great that once applied manually, it cannot be quickly stopped.

It is an object of this invention to provide a nutcracker which will accept any of the usual sizes of nuts but in which the cracking stroke is definitely and predeterminedly limited.

A further object is to provide means for increasing or decreasing the length of the stroke to suit the nuts being cracked.

Yet another object is to provide a nutcracker which is positive in operation.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a shield which will prevent pieces of shell from scattering.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a shield which will move automatically out of shielding position as the nut is cracked.

A further object is to provide a nutcracker which is simple yet rugged.

These and other objects will become apparent from a study of this specification and the drawings which are attached hereto and are made a part hereof and in which:

Figure l is a top, plan view partly in section and partly broken away of thenutcracker showing the jaw and anvil in fully open position in dashed lines and in fully released position in solid lines.

Figure 2 is a side elevation partly in section, partly broken away, and foreshortened showing the jaw and anvil in nut engaging position in full lines and in the final position in dashed lines.

Referring to the figures, the numeral 1 indicates a base which may be attached to a table or bench by any suitable means.

A standard 3 rises at the left end of the base and a horizontal cylinder 5 is fixed to the top thereof. This cylinder is bored centrally at 7 to receive the cylindrical shank 9 of the anvil 11. The anvil has a substantially conical recess 13 for receiving one end of the nut A stud 15 is fixed to the standard and extends parallel to the axis of the anvil. A U-shaped shield 17 is loosely pivoted on the stud and is adapted to be swung over the anvil so as to rest thereagainst or against the nut if this projects laterally beyond the anvil.

Another standard 19 rises from the base adjacent the other end thereof and a horizontal cylinder 21, which is coaxial with cylinder 5 is mounted thereon.

The cylinder has a bore 23 which slidably receives a bushing 25 having a head 27 on one end and a nut 29 threadedly mounted on the other. The bushing slides freely in the bore 23 and a rod 31 is slidably mounted in the bushing.

A guide pin 33 is fixed to the exterior of cylinder 21 and extends through an opening 35 in the head of the bushing to prevent it from turning while permitting axial motion thereof. I

.A nutcracking jaw. 37 having a conical recess 38, is mounted on rod 31 adjacent the anvil and a compressionspring 39 is confined between the jaw and the nut.

Screw 41 is adjustably mounted in the head 27 and 1s held in adjusted position by nut 43. A clutch plate 45 has a notch 47 formed therein which receives the screw and is larger than screw so that the plate may tilt thereon flatwise. The plate is confined between the nut 43 and the head of the screw.

A hole 49, which is of slightly greater diameter than the rod 31, is formed in the plate and receives the rod. The hole and rod are so dimensioned that when the plate is moved to the dashed line position, Figure 2, it will grip the rod in a well known manner.

The standard 19 has a lateral arm 51 disposed at about the level of the cylinder 21. A brace 53 is fixed at one end to the base and runs upwardly and longitudinally to be fixed to the end of the arm. A leg 55 also extends downwardly from the arm to the base.

A link 57 has one end pivoted at 59 on arm 51 and has pivotally connected to the other end thereof, by bolt 61, a lever 63.

A collar is pinned to the righthand end of the rod 31 and a block 67 is slidably mounted thereon. The block has a lateral boss 69 which is tapped centrally to receive screw 71.

The lever 63 is pivotally mounted on the boss and a clutch actuator 73 is clamped between the end of boss 69 and the head of the screw. The actuator thus engages the clutch plate below the rod so as to tilt the plate from the solid line position to the dashed line position of Figure 2.

Operation The nut 29 is first adjusted to secure the desired stroke which is determined by the distance between the head 27 and the adjacent end of cylinder 21. This distance may have to be determined by trial with a few nuts to secure the amount of movement of jaw 37 which will effectively crack the shell but not injure the meat. The nut has a relatively tight fit on the bushing so that it will hold the adjustment but loose enough to be turned by thefingers.

Next the lever 63 is then moved to the right until block 67engages collar 65 and then the additional amount to separate jaw 37 from the anvil 11 far enough to permit insertion of the nut endwise therebetween. This motion compresses the spring 39 which insures that the nut 29 is in contact with the adjacent end of cylinder 21 to provide a full cracking stroke.

It should be noted that this opening movement may be comparatively great so that large nuts may be received.

Next, the handle 63 is moved toward the left and spring 39 will seat the jaw 37 on the nut. The shield 17 is next swung into place over the nut. Further movement of the handle moves the block 67 relative to shaft 31 until the clutch actuator 73 engages the clutch plate 45 to tilt it on screw 41 until it grips rod 31 whereupon the rod is moved to apply pressure upon the nut.

Since the clutch plate 45 is attached to the head 27 of the bushing, the latter will now move with the rod 31 until the head strikes the end of cylinder 21 which stops all of the parts and thus limits the stroke.

It should be noted here that the head 27 is cut away at 28 so that it cannot interfere with the gripping action of the clutch 45 but will also afiord support for the plate after it is engaged. The screw 41 may be adjusted to give the action desired.

In many cases, if the shield lies against the side of the nut, the increase in radial dimension of the nut as it bursts will automatically flip the shield back to the inoperative position. In any case, the shield must be moved to such position and the nut will be dropped automatically when the lever is moved to the right to separate the jaw from the anvil to receive another nut.

The cracking movement of the handle is preferably performed quickly with considerable force. The shell bursts without cracking the meat and since the nut is cracked endwise, the shell bursts so that the meats are free in the shell and can be easily and quickly removed.

it is obvious that various changes may be made in the form, structure and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly,

applicant does not desire to be limited to the specific embodiment disclosed herein primarily for purposes of illustration; but instead, he desires protection falling fairly within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A nutcracker comprising an anvil, a shaft mounted for axial movement toward and away from the anvil, a jawon the shaft adjacent the anvil, yieldable means for urging the jaw toward said anvil to clamp a nut therebetween, a lever, means for pivotally mounting said lever, a clutch adapted to engage said shaft but normally disengaged therefrom, and means on the lever adapted to engage said clutch with said shaft after the nut has been clamped and thereafter to move the clutch apredetermined amount in a direction to crack a nut.

2. A nutcracker comprising an anvil, a shaft mounted for axial movement toward and away from the anvil, a jaw on the shaft adjacent the anvil, yieldable means for urging the jaw toward said anvil to clamp a nut therebetween, a lever, means for pivotally mounting said lever, a clutch adapted to engage said shaft but normally disengaged therefrom, means on the lever adapted to engage said clutch with said shaft after the nut has been clamped and thereafter to move the clutch in a direction to crack a nut and means for limiting the movement of said clutch to a predetermined amount.

3. A nutcracker comprising an anvil, a shaft mounted for axial movement toward and away from the anvil, a jaw on the shaft adjacent the anvil, yieldable means for urging the jaw toward said anvil to clamp a nut therebetween, a lever, means for pivotally mounting said lever, a clutch adapted to engage said shaft but normally disengaged therefrom, means on the lever adapted to engage said clutch with said shaft after the nut has been clamped and thereafter to move the clutch a predetermined amount in a direction to crack a nut and variably presettable means for limiting the amount of movement of said clutch.

4. A nutcracker comprising an anvil, a shaft mounted for axial movement toward and away from the anvil, a jaw on the shaft adjacent the anvil, yieldable means for urging the jaw toward said anvil to clamp a nut therebetween, a lever, means for pivotally mounting said lever, a clutch adapted to engage said shaftbut normally disengaged therefrom, means on the lever adapted to engage said clutch with said shaft after the nut has been clampedand thereafter to move the clutch a predeteri mined amount in a direction to crack a nut, means on said lever when pivoted in one direction, adapted to engage said shaft and move it away from the anvil.

5. A nutcracker comprising a frame, an anvil fixed thereto, a standard mounted on the frame, a sleeve mounted in the standard for slidable movement toward and away from the anvil, a shaft mounted for slidable movement in the sleeve toward and away from the anvil and a jaw on the end of the shaft adjacent the anvil, a clutch plate tiltably mounted on the sleeve and having an opening therein to receive the shaft and adapted to bind on the shaft when the plate is. tilted, a lever pivotally mounted on the frame adjacent the shaft and means on the shaft, disposed for operation by thelever, adapted to engage and tilt the clutch plate upon pivotal motion in one direction and upon further motionto move the plate and shaft to crack a nut interposed between the jaw and anvil.

6. A nutcracker comprising a frame, an anvil fixed thereto, a standard mounted on the frame, a sleeve.

mounted in the standard for slidable movement toward and away from the anvil, a shaft mounted for slidable movement in the sleeve toward and away from the anvil and a jaw on the end of the shaft adjacent the anvil, a clutch plate tiltably mounted on the sleeve and having an opening therein to receive the shaft and adapted to bind on the shaft when the plate is tilted, a lever pivotally mounted on the frame adjacent the shaft, means on the shaft, disposed for operation by the lever, adapted to engage and tilt the clutch plate upon pivotal motion in one direction and upon further motion to move the plate and shaft to crack a nut interposed between the jaw and anvil and means for limiting the movement of said sleeve to limit the magnitude of said .further motion.

7. A nutcracker comprising a frame, an anvil fixed thereto, astandard mounted on the frame, a sleeve mounted in the standard for slidable movement toward and away from the anvil, a shaft mounted for slidable movement in the sleeve toward and away from the anvil and a jaw on the end of the shaft adjacent the anvil, a compression spring mounted between the jaw and sleeve to urge them in opposite directions to clamp a nut therebetween, adjustable stop means on the sleeve adapted to engage the standard and limit the sliding movement of the sleeve induced by the spring, a clutch, plate tiltably mounted on the sleeve and having an opening therein to receive the shaft and adapted to bind on the shaft when the plate is tilted, a lever pivotally mounted on the frame adjacent the shaft and means on the shaft, disposed for operation by the lever, adapted to engage and tilt the clutch plate upon pivotal motion in one direction and upon further motion to move the plate and shafitl; to crack a nut interposed between the jaw and anv v 8. A nutcracker comprising a frame, an anvil fixed thereto, a standard mounted on the frame, a sleeve mountedin the standardfor axial movement therein, said sleeve having a head on one end and an adjustable nut on the other for contact with the, standard to limit the-sliding motion of the sleeve, a shaft slidably mounted in the. sleeve and having a jaw mounted on the end adjacent the anvil, a clutch plate tiltably mounted on the sleeve and having an opening therein to receive the shaft, said opening and shaft having such diameters that upon, tilting, the plate will grip the shaft, a lever pivotally mounted on the frame adjacent the shaft and pivotally mounted on a block which is slidably mounted on the shaft, a collar fixed on the end of the shaft opposite the jaw, said block, when moved in one direction by the shaf serving to engage the block to open the jaw, additional, means on the block adapted to engage and tilt said plate upon movement of the lever in another direction, and thereafter to further move the plate, sleeve. and shaft as a unit to crack the nut.

9. A nutcracker comprising a frame, an anvil fixed thereto, a standard mounted on the frame, a sleeve mounted in the standard for axial movement therein, said sleeve having a head on one end and an adjustable nut on the other for contact with the standard tolimit the sliding motion of the sleeve in opposite directions, a shaft slidably mounted in the sleeve and having a jaw mounted on the end adjacent the anvil, a spring disposed to urge the jaw toward the anvil and the sleeve toward the standard, a clutch plate tiltably mounted on the sleeve and having an opening therein to receive the shaft, said opening and shaft having such diameters that upon tilting, the plate will grip the shaft, a lever pivotally mounted adajacent the shaft and pivotally mounted on a block which is slidably mounted on the shaft, a collar on the end of the shaft opposite the jaw, said block, when moved in one direction by the lever, serving to engage the collar to open the jaw against the operation of the spring and when moved in a second direction, serving to control the movement of the jaw toward the anvil, by the spring, for clamping a nut, additional means on the block adapted to engage andv tilt said plate upon movement of the lever in another direction, and thereafter to further move the plate, sleeve and shaft as a unit a predetermined distance to crack the nut, said further movement being limited by en ag ment of the head and standard.

10. A nutcracker comprising a frame, an anvil fixed thereto, a standard mounted on the frame, a sleeve mounted in the standard for axial movement therein, said sleeve having a head on one end and an adjustable nut on the other for engagement with opposite ends of the standard to limit the sliding motion thereof, means for preventing relative rotation of the sleeve and standard, a shaft slidably mounted in the sleeve and having a jaw mounted on the end adjacent the anvil, a spring disposed to urge the jaw toward the anvil and the sleeve toward the standard, a clutch plate tiltably mounted on the sleeve and having an opening therein to receive the shaft, said opening and shaft having such diameters that upon tilting, the plate will grip. the shaft, a lever pivotally mounted on the frame adjacent ,the shaft and pivotally mounted on a block which is slidably mounted on the shaft, a collar on the end of the shaft opposite the jaw, said block, when moved in one direction by the lever, serving to engage the collar to open the jaw and when moved in a second direction, serving to control the movement of the jaw toward the anvil, by the spring, for clamping a nut, additional means on the block adapted to engage and tilt said plate upon further movement of the lever in said second direction, and thereafter to further move the plate, sleeve and shaft as a unit through a predetermined distance to crack the nut.

References Cited in the file of this patent Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Gerstmayr June 17, 1902 Abt Dec. 13, 1918 Walthers Jan. 3, 1939 Settle May 9, 1939 Lennard Oct. 31, 1939 Williamson May 9, 1950 Brookey Mar. 6, 1951 Goble Mar. 11, 1952 

